Ophichthidae is a family of fish in the order Anguilliformes, commonly known as the snake eels. The term "Ophichthidae" comes from Greek ophis ("serpent") and ichthys ("fish"). Snake eels are also burrowing eels, they are named for their physical appearance, they have long, cylindrical snakelike bodies. This family is found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate waters. They inhabit a wide range of habitats, from coastal shallows and even rivers, to depths of above 800 m (2,600 ft). Most species are bottom dwellers, hiding in mud or sand to capture their prey of crustaceans and small fish, but some are pelagic.
Bascanichthys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:
Brachysomophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Pseudomyrophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:
Xyrias is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:
Uroconger drachi is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Marie-Louise Bauchot in 1976. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from a single specimen taken from Pointe Noire, Republic of the Congo, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. From the holotype it is known to dwell at a depth of 120 metres (390 ft). Males can reach a total length of 41.5 centimetres (16.3 in).
Gorgasia inferomaculata is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Jacques Blache in 1977. It is a non-migratory marine, tropical eel which is known from the Gulf of Guinea, in the eastern central Atlantic Ocean.
The Smallfin worm-eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Charles Barkley Wade in 1946. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Nicaragua, Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica. It dwells at a depth range of 100 to 200 metres, and inhabits sediments of mud. Males can reach a maximum total length of 16 centimetres (6.3 in).
Pseudomyrophis nimius is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by James Erwin Böhlke in 1960. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the Atlantic Ocean, including Angola, the Gulf of Mexico, and Florida Atlantic. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 320 to 755 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 36.7 centimetres (14.4 in).
Bascanichthys ceciliae is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Jean Cadenat in 1971. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern coastal Atlantic Ocean between Senegal and Angola. It inhabits shallow waters where it burrows in sand; the burrows are sometimes exposed during low tide. It can reach a maximum total length of 82.5 centimetres, but more commonly reaches a TL of 60 cm.
Bascanichthys congoensis is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Jean Cadenat in 1971. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known solely from Pointe Noire, Democratic Republic of Congo, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It inhabits bays, where it burrows in mud and sand. Males can reach a maximum total length of 62.3 centimetres.
Brachysomophis atlanticus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Luiz Vieria Caldas Saldanha in 1972. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Senegal and the Gulf of Guinea. It inhabits the continental shelf, and makes burrows in sand and mud. Males can reach a maximum total length of 27.3 centimetres.
Dalophis boulengeri is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache, Jean Cadenat and Alfred Stauch in 1970. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Atlantic Ocean, including Angola, Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Gabon, Gambia, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Togo. It is active at night, and inhabits burrows during the daytime, leaving its head exposed. Males can reach a maximum total length of 57.4 centimetres, but more commonly reach a TL of 47.5 cm.
Dalophis multidentatus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Marie-Louise Bauchot in 1972. It is known from a single specimen collected from the Saloum River in Senegal, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is known through this specimen to form burrows in sand or mud on the continental shelf, and to dwell at a depth of 50 metres. Males are able to reach a total length of 15.3 centimetres.
Dalophis obtusirostris is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Marie-Louise Bauchot in 1972. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Mauritania and Senegal. It inhabits estuaries and forms burrows in sand or mud. Males can reach a maximum total length of 38.8 centimetres.
Ethadophis epinepheli is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Marie-Louise Bauchot in 1972. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from a single specimen recovered from the stomach of a grouper in Senegal, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is known to reach a total length of 42.4 centimetres.
Hemerorhinus opici is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Marie-Louise Bauchot in 1972. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Senegal and Angola. It inhabits shallow waters near to shore, and forms burrows in sand and mud substrates. Males can reach a maximum total length of 32.5 centimetres (12.8 in).
Mystriophis crosnieri, known commonly as the Spoon-nose eel in the United Kingdom, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache in 1971. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Senegal, Angola, and the western Mediterranean. It dwells at a depth range of 75 to 300 metres, and forms burrows in sand and mud sediments on the continental shelf. Males can reach a maximum total length of 96.5 centimetres (38.0 in).
Ophichthus leonensis is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from a single specimen found in the stomach of a fish taken from a depth of 180 metres (590 ft) in Sierra Leone, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is presumed to form burrows in sand or mud, as is common amongst eels. Males are known to reach a total length of 23.2 centimetres (9.1 in).
Xyrias guineensis is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache in 1975, originally under the genus Ophisurus. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from Pointe Noire, Congo, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 300 metres (980 ft), and inhabits burrows formed in sand and mud sediments on the continental shelf. Males can reach a maximum total length of 63.6 centimetres (25.0 in).
